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A Norfolk-based bird charity has launched a £1.7 million fundraising campaign to buy the wildlife-rich land surrounding its existing nature reserve.

The Hawk and Owl Trust, at Sculthorpe near Fakenham, hopes to raise £850,000 to buy the fen by asking people to sponsor a parcel of land.

More money will be needed to manage the site and put in necessary infrastructure.

"The Moor has been managed by Hawk and OwlTrust since 2001, and is surrounded by a large area of rough farmland, fen and plantation. We have recently been lucky enough to be offered the chance to buy that land. If it is sold on the open market it would have devastating consequences for the existing reserve, in terms of land use, access issues and even our ability to manage our own reserve, as we can’t do that without coming across the neighbouring land.”